Sunday, i.e. 9th March 2025, will be etched in the memory of all Indian cricket fans for a very long time. Contrary to why 19th November 2023 is remembered by us all, 9th March will be in our memory for a very pleasant reason. India defeated New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 final and lifted yet another ICC Trophy. This was India’s second consecutive ICC Trophy in 9 months after India won the 2024 T20 World last June, ending an 11-year long drought.
The match was symbolic of how every single match went about for India in this tournament – quite clinical at the top, slight scare in the middle, but finally getting home comfortably, courtesy the depth of Indian batting. Every Indian cricketer contributed to the win, and it was yet another display of Indian cricket’s dominance. This was India’s 3rd Champions Trophy win (The title was shared with Sri Lanka in 2002). Here’s everything that went down in the game and, subsequently, in the tournament.
India’s Poor Run with the Toss, But Dominance in the Field Continued
India went into the tournament as the favorites, and they played like one. At the toss, Rohit Sharma once again lost it, marking his 15th straight toss loss in a row. Mitchell Santner opted to bat first, and the Kiwi openers had their intentions clear. New Zealand got off to a flying start and were 57 in 7.4 overs, batting at more than 7 runs per over.
This is when Varun Chakaravarthy picked up the wicket of Will Young. Soon enough, Kuldeep Yadav picked up the wickets of Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson in a flurry, and reduced the Kiwis to 75/3. Still batting at more than 6 runs per over, New Zealand looked well on their way to post a big total. But the Indian spinners put the brakes on them.
Runs dried out, dots increased, and New Zealand went into a defensive mode to save wickets. After Ravindra Jadeja picked up Tom Latham, New Zealand were no longer looking to go big. They played cautiously in the middle overs, carefully dodging the Indian spin quartet of R Jadeja, Kuldeep, Axar Patel, and V Chakaravarthy. They were 211/6 in 45.4 overs. A quickfire 53 off 40 balls from Michael Bracewell at the end took their final total to 252/7 in 50 overs.
As it turned out, it was never enough for India’s never-ending batting line up.
India Came Out ‘All Guns Blazing’, But there Was a Halt in the Middle
With the target of 253, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill didn’t waste any time in scoring those runs quickly. Rohit Sharma was on song, scoring at a brisk pace while Shubman Gill was anchoring on the other side. India were 105 in 18.4 overs and were sailing towards the total comfortably.
This is when Gill hit a pitched-up delivery by their captain Mitchell Santner, that was flying over silly mid off’s head. Except, the fielder there was Glenn Phillips. Leaping out of his ground and stretching his arm, Phillips took a blinder once again.
Glenn Phillips’ magnificent catch sent Shubman Gill back and caused the overspeeding train that is Indian batting, to a minor halt. Soon enough, Virat Kohli was dismissed by Bracewell and Rohit Sharma by Rachin Ravindra. India now had lost 3 wickets in quick succession and they had to approach with caution.
Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel steadied the ship for a bit, but kept the scoreboard ticking with boundaries at regular intervals. India were still in control.
At 183/3, Shreyas Iyer was dismissed by Santner caught by Ravindra. He was previously dropped by Jamieson at long on. 20 runs later when Axar Patel departed, with India still needing 49 runs to win, things were once again a bit shaky. The nerves that had settled were back again on every Indian fan. However, KL Rahul’s and Hardik Pandya’s run-a-ball innings were enough to ensure India’s victory.
Rahul scored 34 off 33 balls and Pandya scored 18 off 18. Both of them batted like there was no pressure on them when Axar Patel got out. In the end Pandya got out trying for a pull shot, but Jadeja came in and saw India through. He also hit the winning boundary, much like he did for CSK a couple of years ago. India won the final.
Rohit Sharma, for his brilliant 76 off 83 balls, was adjudged Man of the Match.
How did India Match Up With New Zealand Ahead of this Final?
Experts, analysts, cricket writers, commentators, and everyone else were unequivocally clear that India was the best team on paper and best team on the field. In the white ball set up, India has far too many match winners in Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Mohammad Shami, etc.
New Zealand, on the other hand, made the best use of whatever players they have. Rachin Ravindra played brilliantly throughout, and was adjudged the Man of the Tournament. Kane Williamson, already a legend, played exceptionally in the tournament. Other important players like Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, Will Young, Glenn Phillips, etc., all contributed immensely.
On the field, New Zealand were by far the best team of the tournament. Phillips alone took three of the best catches in this tournament. Indian spinners were better than theirs, with Axar, Kuldeep, Jadeja, and Chakaravarthy providing an arsenal of spin bowling like no other. There is variation, there is versatility, there is wrist spin, there is finger spin, there is wrong one, and everything else.
New Zealand had a very economical Santner as their main spinner, ably supported by part-time spinners like Ravindra, Phillips, and Bracewell. While the latter three bowled their heart out, their comparison to Jadeja, Axar, and Chakaravarthy falls pale.
In the pace department, India matched up to New Zealand, although New Zealand is slightly ahead in it. Jamieson, Will O’Rourke, and Nathan Smith provided a slightly stronger pace attack to the Kiwis than India’s Mohammad Shami and Hardik Pandya. But since the entire tournament for India, including the final, was in Dubai, pace didn’t play as significant a role as spin.
Owing to the familiarity of the subcontinent conditions, and the match-winning skills of Indian batters, they were far ahead of New Zealand in this department as well. Overall, it was India’s match to win and they took it with both hands.
Champions Trophy 2025 – A Fairytale Tournament for India
It’s often believed that remaining unbeaten in a tournament can result in misfortune in the most important game. Take India at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where it proved true. India thrashed every team throughout the tournament before losing in the final against Australia. Despite such coincidences, these claims or beliefs remain largely unfounded and not backed by proofs, centering them in the ‘superstition’ category.
India, who had emboldened this superstition in the 2023 World Cup, shattered it in 2024 by winning the T20 World Cup unbeaten. They repeated it in 2025 by winning the Champions Trophy unbeaten. India have now won 23 out of the last 24 ICC tournament matches, losing only the 2023 ODI World Cup final. This is an unprecedented record, one that truly displays India’s white ball dominance in recent times.
Controversies Surrounding the Tournament and the Legacy of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Before the tournament began, there was much hue and cry over India not traveling to Pakistan due to both political and security reasons. As a result, an understanding between cricket boards was reached and India was destined to play all their matches in Dubai. However, this created minor inconvenience for all the other teams who were scheduled to play their matches in and around Pakistan, but had to travel to Dubai to play against India.
This became the major point of contention in the cricketing world, with many claiming that India is at an advantage ahead of the tournament. With so many teams traveling so much and being unfamiliar with the conditions in both countries, India were sitting comfortably with the sole knowledge about the Dubai Cricket Ground, which was all that was required.
While nothing more was made of this controversy, India largely decided to not entertain this idea. They, instead, played exceptionally and brought the trophy home. There were also rumors about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirement, which were all quashed once the Indian captain addressed it in the press conference after the win and dismissed it entirely.
He said, “I am not going to retire from this format. Just to make sure no rumours are spread moving forward. Thanks,” and ended the press conference. Kohli hasn’t addressed those rumours yet, but given that there was no announcement from him, it is highly unlikely at the moment.
Indian fans will hope for them to continue till the 2027 ODI World Cup. Meanwhile, brighter days might be ahead for Indian white ball cricket.
